Manager – Legal & Compliance (Corporate Counsel)

Company Overview

Not specified.

Job Summary

The Manager – Legal & Compliance (Corporate Counsel) is a pivotal in-house legal role responsible for consolidating and streamlining the company's legal, compliance, and corporate secretarial functions. The role involves managing a broad spectrum of legal activities, including contract management, regulatory compliance, dispute resolution, and external counsel oversight. The incumbent will serve as the primary legal interface for the business, aiming to reduce external legal spend, accelerate contract turnaround times, and enable the leadership team to make informed commercial decisions swiftly. This position offers an opportunity to build and shape the company's legal function from the ground up, directly reporting to the Executive Director / CEO.

Responsibilities

• Contracts and Commercial (approx. 35%)
  Draft, review, negotiate, and finalize a wide range of commercial agreements including customer, dealer/distributor, supply, vendor, EPC/turnkey, installation, AMC, service contracts, NDAs, MoUs, LoIs, agency, and consultancy agreements. Manage the entire contract lifecycle, develop a library of standard templates, and advise business teams on key contractual clauses such as indemnity, liability, warranties, force majeure, and dispute resolution. Support tenders and government/institutional bids by reviewing bid documents and related contractual terms.

• Compliance and Regulatory (approx. 20%)
  Oversee the enterprise compliance calendar, track licenses, registrations, and approvals, and ensure timely renewals. Coordinate responses to regulatory notices, inspections, and departmental queries. Provide guidance on data protection laws, competition law, anti-bribery, and export requirements. Design and implement internal policies including POSH, code of conduct, whistleblower, conflict of interest, and delegation of authority, along with conducting periodic awareness sessions.

• Corporate Secretarial and Governance (approx. 15%)
  Prepare and present periodic legal and compliance updates for the Board and leadership team, ensuring adherence to governance standards.

• Disputes, Litigation, and External Counsel Management (approx. 20%)
  Act as the single point of contact for all external law firms, advocates, and consultants. Define scope of work, negotiate rates, review invoices, and track legal spend. Manage litigation and dispute processes, including recovery matters, consumer disputes, labor issues, tax litigation, and arbitration. Brief counsel, review pleadings, attend hearings, and advise leadership on case merits, exposure, and settlement strategies. Drive pre-litigation recovery efforts to minimize court proceedings.

• Streamlining and Systems (approx. 10%)
  Improve legal processes through the development of intake forms, SLAs, template repositories, and approval matrices. Implement and promote legal technology tools such as contract management systems, e-signature platforms, and compliance tracking software. Publish monthly legal dashboards covering contract status, disputes, compliance, and legal spend metrics.

Qualifications

• Educational Qualifications:

  • LL.B. from a recognized university
  • Enrolled with a State Bar Council

• Experience & Skills:

  • 4–8 years post-qualification experience, preferably in-house within manufacturing, engineering, industrial, or B2B sectors. Candidates from law firms with strong client-side exposure will also be considered.
  • Proven ownership of contract drafting, review, and negotiation with minimal supervision.
  • Working knowledge of the Companies Act, Indian Contract Act, Labour and Factory legislation, Arbitration & Conciliation Act, and dispute procedures.
  • Experience managing external counsel, including scope, cost, and quality control.
  • Strong written English skills, capable of drafting clear, commercially focused legal clauses and advisory notes.

• Certifications & Additional Knowledge:

  • CS qualification or LL.M. (preferred)
  • Exposure to sectors such as agri-business, farm machinery, capital equipment, EPC, or regulated manufacturing environments.
  • Experience with government/PSU tenders and institutional contracts.
  • Familiarity with setting up in-house legal functions or implementing CLM (Contract Lifecycle Management) and compliance systems.
  • Proficiency in Bengali and/or Hindi for local legal matters and site coordination (preferred).

Preferred Skills

• Experience in implementing legal technology solutions and compliance management systems.
• Ability to communicate complex legal issues clearly to non-lawyers.
• Strong process orientation and problem-solving skills.
• Negotiation skills with a firm yet collaborative approach.
• High integrity and professionalism.

Experience

• 4 to 8 years of relevant legal experience, with a mix of in-house and external counsel exposure, particularly in manufacturing or industrial sectors.

Environment

• The role is based at the Kolkata Head Office.
• The work environment is primarily in-office, with a focus on collaborative engagement with internal teams and external counsel.
• The position involves managing multiple legal and compliance activities, requiring organizational agility and attention to detail.

Salary

Not specified.

GrowthOpportunities

Not specified.

Benefits

• Direct reporting line to the Executive Director, providing visibility into major commercial decisions.
• Opportunity to build and shape the legal function from the ground up.
• Health insurance, statutory benefits, and other applicable perquisites.